Rescued From Baghdad's Deadliest Street

(CBS)  When the Crazyhorse troops of the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry were given the mission to rescue Dr. Quraish Fajir al-Kasir, they were expecting the worst. The target house was on Haifa Street, where they were attacked just last week, before intense fighting erupted here between Sunni gunmen and Iraqi forces.

Friday night, al-Kasir, one of the terrified residents, told CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan he was trapped.

"You can't leave?" Logan asked him in a telephone interview.

"No," he said. "It's difficult to go. They will kill you because any moving object will be shot."

Al-Kasir is a famous Iraqi surgeon, once the guest of President Bush at the White House, now hiding with his family in a dark bathroom for eight days, shivering from cold and hunger:

"I have saved so many people in surgery," he told Logan. "I have done a lot for the people here. Why I should be killed? Why? I don't know why."

Today, after our report was broadcast, and with the help of America's ambassador to Iraq, Captain John Gilliam and his men answered the family's desperate plea for help.

The soldiers rushed the family to the safety of a waiting Bradley armored fighting vehicle, knowing an attack could come at any moment. Then, in a moment of relief, al-Kasir blew a kiss of gratitude that said it all.

Within minutes, the family reached the safety of the heavily fortified Green Zone just a short distance away.

"Thank you American military, thank you people, thank you very much," said al-Kasir.

For their rescuers, it was a rare pleasure.

"It's really good to see a family that we could save and make sure they didn't get hurt while we are out here," said Sgt. Nicholas Skelton of the Crazyhorse Troop.

Tonight the doctor's family, so grateful for their safety, say their only sadness is knowing there are so many other families still trapped and terrified on Haifa Street.

[clestes-2009]

What the hell is he doing on that street in the first place? Seems like a needless danger for US troops to rescue him.

[tempdjms]

Thank you for reporting this story. I heard about it over on www.NewsBusters.org, in a article by Brent Baker. He did a very nice write up and told people about your article. NewsBusters is very well known news site online. I thought you should know that your good reporting was recognized. Here is a link to the write up: http://newsbusters.org/node/10186

Many blessings,
Debra...
www.InformingChristians.com

[alphaa10-2009]

Logan is doing her job well, even if she and her peers are in harm's way often as much as our soldiers. The difference is their job is to tell the truth. Without them, all we would have are Pentagon press releases.

[bvckvs-2009]

It's worth pointing out that the violence the surgeon was fleeing was brought about by Bush's occupation forces.

[pudd54]

Nice we could save the guy who meet with Bush, too bad about the 600,000 or so we couldn't save.

[feelfree1]

emtak1,

Re: "But if we are win this thing--how can we do it without brave Iraqis?"

I can't imagine what "thing" you are hoping to "win", but the brave Iraqis have successfully stalled the Bush League terror regime global domination drive.

The Iraqis have successfully defended against the illegal and immoral invasion of their country, and against those who have chosen to collaborate with the illegal invaders, and they have every right to do so.

[emtak1]

Why does a Brave group of Americans with the title of a great American Chief have to save an Iraqi?

They did good. But if we are win this thing--how can we do it without brave Iraqis?

[samrthornton]

Great piece, Lara. And good job helping rescue Dr. Al-Kasir and his family.